July 9, 2008
Drove down to Bell Road for my cardio rehab session at eight this morning. It's about an hour workout. Twenty minutes on the treadmill (1.2 miles), six minutes on the rowing machine, ten minutes on the recumbent cycle, ten wall push ups, ten squat-thrusts, ten arm curls (7 lbs). Top heart rate: 120, resting: 78.

Our precious little hearts beat 100,000 times a day, times 61 years: Talk about a workout!

Meanwhile, 1,500 Americans die every day of heart attacks. Yes, every day (imagine three 747s full of people crashing every day). No wonder I am running into so many survivors with a story to tell. Someone said we dig our graves with our teeth.

Pass the mole, Baby!

My Prescott art mentor, Janet Childress, called me on the Fourth of July and said a Craig S. was in the art gallery and was considering whether to buy the Billy In Leather painting (the one Van O'Steen bought then changed his mind and bought John Wesley Hardin In El Paso instead). Craig wanted to know if I would sign a letter of authenticity (I didn't sign the painting, and it's already framed), and so I called him back and left a message but he never returned my call so I assumed he passed.

He called this morning and informed me he not only bought the Leather Billy, but he bought four other Billy paintings! He's coming out next Tuesday for the authenticity letter. Interesting that two guys bought half the art in the show.

Hey, this art thing is finally starting to pay off for me. Gee, I wonder what ol' Burton has to say about this?

"It's fine to believe in ourselves, but we mustn't be too easily convinced."
—Burton Hillis